#  loading arguments

Load command-line arguments from a YAML file

## Details
You can use `--args <file>` anywhere in your command line to load arguments
from a YAML file. This is recommended for complex workflows, escaping
issues, or bypassing your operating system's command-line length limits.

### YAML Format

The file must be a flat YAML list of strings.

```yaml
- in.pdf
- cat
- 1-3
- output
- out.pdf
```

Nested lists are flattened. This may be useful for organizing your files:

```yaml
- # Input files
  - a.pdf
  - b.pdf
- cat
```

### Pipeline Separators

If you use `---` to separate YAML documents, it acts exactly like the pipeline
separator (`---`) on the command line.

```yaml
- in.pdf
- rotate
- right
---
- stamp
- logo.pdf
- output
- out.pdf
```

### Escaping and Windows Paths

One consequence of using YAML is that unquoted strings treat
backslashes and spaces as literal characters. This makes Windows paths
safe without escaping.

```yaml
- C:\Users\Name\My Document.pdf
```

If your filename contains a space followed by a hash (e.g., `File #1.pdf`),
YAML will treat the hash as the start of a comment.
To fix this, wrap the line in single quotes:

```yaml
- 'C:\Users\Name\File #1.pdf'
```

### Comments

You can use `#` to add comments to your argument files to document your workflow.

```yaml
# Apply the final watermark
- stamp
- watermark.pdf
```
## Examples

> Load arguments from a YAML file
```
pdftl --args my_pipeline.yml
```

> Mix direct arguments and loaded arguments
```
pdftl in.pdf --args operations.yml output out.pdf
```

*Source: pdftl.cli.args_loader*

*Read online: [https://pdftl.readthedocs.io/en/stable/general/args.html](https://pdftl.readthedocs.io/en/stable/general/args.html)*

*Type: HelpTopic*